Diane\'s Blog

Soren

As an educator, I was offended by the reductionism and scapegoat-ism and cheap appeals to emotions that this documentary employed in order to make a dishonest argument. In fact, I was so outraged that I wrote my representative asking her to bring a class action suit against this movie for libeling public education (which, to be sure, is impractical, but which I think is a good way to push back). I do sense that there’s a brewing movement to privatize public education, as one politician here in California is advocating for. This would doubtless involve using public funds to invest in private institutions, which you’ve touched on in your article.

I’m saying all this to preface my thanks for people like you who fight this affront to intellectual integrity and our public school system that is not as broken as the movie makes it out to be. Though it seems like an old belief, many of the parents I’ve worked with do believe that school performance is commensurate with student effort; and in my school there’s never a shortage of teachers who will help those who seek extra help.

Your article was well said, and I hope it’s getting wide circulation beyond my recommending it to everyone I know.